London Mayor, Ken Livingstone has outlined tough new proposals aimed at cutting carbon emissions. As part of his London Plan Review he has doubled the requirement for on-site renewable energy generation from 10% to 20% and announced that all new developments must connect to decentralised local energy supplies.

Making the announcement, the Mayor said: "The new policies set tough but deliverable targets for reducing carbon emissions. We must move our cities away from relying on inefficient centralised heat and power generation, and stop constructing buildings that waste heat and electricity. In London, we want to see the widespread use of decentralised energy, the highest standards of green building design and renewable energy incorporated wherever we can."

While welcoming the proposals, The British Property Federation (BPF) says the Mayor has missed the point and that he should be concentrating on energy consumption by occupiers in existing commercial buildings. According to Faraz Baber, the BPF's director for regeneration and development: "It is important to recognise that recent building regulations, which place a greater emphasis on sustainability issues, will provide the necessary impetus for improvements when they are introduced. In addition to this, the forthcoming EU-enforced energy labelling on public buildings will be an added incentive to drive up standards."

The Draft Further Alterations to The London Plan also sets out a series of complimentary policies to achieve CO2 reductions including ensuring that a development is designed for the climate change it will experience over its lifetime.

The Review also proposes to set carbon dioxide reduction targets of 20% by 2015 and 60% by 2050. This is the first time that statutory carbon reduction targets have been set for London.

Source

Building Sustainable Design